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Is There a Shortage of Marriageable Men? Brookings Institution. September 23, 2015.

In the last half century, marriage rates have fallen dramatically. The paper explores possible drivers of this trend, including declining economic prospects among men, an increase in unwed births that constrain women’s later marriageability, rising rates of incarceration, and a reversal of the education gap that once favored men and now favors women. The authors estimate that the decline in male earnings since 1970 among both black and less-educated white men can explain a portion of the decline in marriage, but that cultural factors have played an important role as well. They argue that the ratio of marriageable men to women depends critically on how one defines “marriageable.” [Note: contains copyrighted material].

The Census Bureau released some data from the 2014 American Community Survey (ACS). It shows that the nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) grew by 2.4 million people since 2010 and is up one million from 2013 to 2014. population as completely as the ACS. The growth in the immigrant population has rebounded after increasing more slowly from 2010 to 2013 following the Great Recession. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

Following the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the Russian public has embraced an increasingly conservative and nationalistic ideology. According to the author, any repudiation of this ideology, let alone the transformation of the country as a whole, will only happen if demand for change from the bottom coincides with a desire for modernization from the top. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

The report shows why giving aid directly in the form of cash is often a highly effective way to reduce suffering and to make limited humanitarian aid budgets go further. It urges the humanitarian community to give more aid as cash, and to make cash central to future emergency response planning. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

Proposals to raise the eligibility age for Medicare may have unintended consequences for state government finances. The medical care of persons who currently receive both Medicaid and Medicare benefits, also known as “dual eligibles,” could become the sole responsibility of Medicaid. The authors estimate the number of such individuals in each state and the amount of current Medicare spending that could be shifted to state Medicaid programs. The actual cost impact of such a policy change for an individual state depends on both the demographic makeup of its population and its decision about Medicaid expansion under the ACA. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

The study examines the spatial pattern of community-oriented nonprofit organizations in the 100 largest metropolitan areas. It finds that: (1) the densities of these nonprofits typically increase with neighborhood poverty rates; (2) they are much more prevalent in metros in the northeast, mid-west and along the pacific coast, than in the sunbelt; and (3) their numbers have been growing rapidly everywhere, particularly so in places where their densities were lower in the past. The authors conclude that the findings warrant further research on how variations in the density and mix of nonprofits in a neighborhood may influence neighborhood improvement. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

The survey finds that most Americans can answer basic questions about several scientific terms and concepts, such as the layers of the Earth and the elements needed to make nuclear energy. But other science-related terms and applications, such as what property of a sound wave determines loudness and the effect of higher altitudes on cooking time, are not as well understood. [Note: contains copyrighted material].